Ferrari shares exciting news about Michael Schumacher before the Italian Grand Prix
Ferrari is gearing up to celebrate the legendary Michael Schumacher during the Italian Grand Prix weekend. Schumacher, a seven-time world champion, won five of those titles with Ferrari between 2001 and 2004. He nearly won an eighth in 2006, which was his last season in his first Formula 1 career run.
One unforgettable moment from that year was when Schumacher won his final Italian Grand Prix with Ferrari, greeted by cheering fans as he returned to the pits. Right after the race, he announced his retirement from Formula 1 at 37 years old. He then won the next race in China, briefly leading the Drivers’ Championship with two races left. Unfortunately, an engine failure while leading in Japan ended his chances, and Fernando Alonso went on to claim the title.
Schumacher’s time at Ferrari started in 1996, after he left Benetton, bringing two consecutive world championships with him. Recently, AutoRacer reported that Ferrari plans to reveal a special car design inspired by Schumacher and his 1996 season to mark the 30th anniversary.
On Wednesday morning, Ferrari shared photos of Schumacher on social media, with the message: “Honouring a legacy that has helped shape our own.” Interestingly, the first photo shows Schumacher’s name under the number five, which he raced with in 2006, though in 1996 he used number one as the reigning champion. Another photo shows him celebrating with his famous red star helmet, which he didn’t wear in 1996, sparking curiosity about how Ferrari will honor him at Monza.
This weekend, current drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc aim for victory. Since Schumacher, only Fernando Alonso in 2010 and Leclerc in 2019 and 2024 have won the Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari. However, other Italian teams have also celebrated wins at Monza—Sebastian Vettel scored his first Grand Prix victory with Toro Rosso in 2008 during a rainy race, and Pierre Gasly won for AlphaTauri in 2020.